The Sam Sanders Show

Tis’ the season! It’s that time of year when we’re bombarded by gift guides. Something for your partner, your friends, White Elephant gifts, and the always daunting task of getting something for your parents. It seems like every year we’re expected to GIVE so much. 

Sam breaks down the gift guide overload with Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Intere...

This year saw some pretty spectacular pop culture moments… but there’s a few we hope to never see again. 

We’re breaking down the best and worst of 2025, from blockbuster hits like KPop Demon Hunters and Sinners, to the rebirth of rock with bands like Geese. 

Sam takes on this big task with help from Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast, an...

HBO’s new gay romance series Heated Rivalry has the internet… feeling things. It tells the steamy story of two feuding hockey players who secretly desire (and devour) each other. The series rounds out a long list of queer pop culture moments from 2025. Alex Abad Santos, correspondent at Vox, joins Sam to look back on it all. 

From I Love LA to the re-release of Brokeb...

Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter makes people look good on the big screen — especially Black people. 

She’s the mind behind the costumes for countless iconic films including Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, the Black Panther franchise, and arguably the biggest movie this year… Sinners. 

Sam chats with Ruth about the literal blood and...

Solomon Ray is the hottest new voice in Gospel music, but there’s a catch. He’s not real. 

Sam chats with Andrew R. Chow, a correspondent for Time where he covers technology. They break down the rise of AI in the music industry and how human artists are fighting back. Are streamers doing anything to filter out tracks made by machines? What can listeners do to avoid AI slop? Plus, why it’s...

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we’re sharing a special episode of Your Mama's Kitchen. 

In the podcast, host Michele Norris and guests explore how our earliest culinary experiences shape our personal and professional lives. Plus, every guest shares a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.

Sam was on the show recently where...

Now that Wicked: For Good is finally in theaters, has the industry been changed for the better? 

NOTE: This episode contains hot takes and spoilers.

Sam breaks it all down with Katey Rich, awards editor at The Ankler, and host of the Prestige Junkie podcast and newsletter. They dive into the memes, the money, and star power that created the biggest Broadway adaptation...

Danielle Pinnock got her big break in the wildly popular sitcom Ghosts. But just before she landed that role, she nearly quit acting.

She tells Sam how a ton of hard work (and a little bit of lying and scamming) finally got her noticed. Danielle also breaks down why she continues fighting for Black stories and body acceptance in Hollywood. Plus, her latest hot take gets us in the mood ...

Sports betting is a billion dollar industry chock full of scandals. 

Journalist Baker Machado breaks down how gambling has infiltrated sports from the collegiate to professional level, how players get involved, and how betting companies push fans into spending money they often can’t afford to lose. Spoiler alert: it’s all legal. 

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Samin Nosrat found a love for cooking through working in acclaimed restaurants and visiting kitchens around the world. She became a star after releasing her hit cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – which also became a Netflix series. But to her surprise, all that success left her feeling empty. 

Sam chatted with Samin in her ‘secret garden,’ surrounded by kumquats, l...

Author Michael Lewis is best known for writing Money Ball, Liar's Poker and The Big Short, his seminal book about the 2008 financial crisis that later became an Oscar-winning film. He sat down with Sam for a recent Live Talk Los Angeles event to celebrate the 15 year anniversary and new audio book of The Big Short.

They revisit the biggest lessons from 2008 and reflect on what’s ...

Comedian Jay Jurden loves seeing just how far he can push a joke. 

In his debut special, Yes Ma’am, Jay makes fun of everyone from millennials to Kid Rock to his own open marriage. Sam chats with Jay about his writing process, why you won’t hear a single Trump joke in his set, and why every comedian who has ever made fun of you might owe you money. 

J...

For the first time in 35 years, there are no rap songs in Billboard’s Top 40. Is hip-hop in trouble? 

Sam breaks down what it all means with Justin Richmond, music journalist and host of Pushkin’s Broken Record podcast. The two chat about the warning signs that might have led to this moment, how hip hop has evolved, and how Black music continues to influence ...

Comedian Jazmyn W. pokes fun at everything from being a single mom to dating post-divorce. It’s part therapy, part life advice, and 100% real.

She chats with Sam about why she isn’t afraid to be honest in her stand up, the realities of working as a comedian and content creator, and why even though she has over a million followers on TikTok, she couldn't care less if the app...

Surprise! From now on you’ll be getting double the Sam in your feed every week. 

In today's episode...When Sam placed Jaws on our Horror Movie Mt. Rushmore our videographer, Luis Peña, had A LOT to say. Sam and Luis duke it out and find out once and for all what actually makes a horror movie a horror movie.  

The Sam Sanders Show is a production...

We were all burned by the #GIRLBOSS era… just ask comedian Phoebe Robinson. Her latest standup special I Don’t Wanna Work Anymore gets into all the ways hustle culture made us all tired. 

Phoebe and Sam break down the realities of the girlboss, trad wives and tired baddies everywhere. They also reflect on the legacy of her comedy podcast 2 Dope Queens, which she ...

Hallelujah! It's finally spooky season! Time to break down the very best of Hollywood horror. Joining the show are culture journalists Brittany Luse (host of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute) and Tre’vell Anderson (host of the film podcast SEATED). 

They rank their favorite scary movies of all time and build the definitive Horror Movie Mount Rushmore. Can anything top Jo...

Maybe there actually was a song of the summer? At least if you’ve seen the hit movie KPop Demon Hunters. The film’s hottest song, Golden, has been dominating the Billboard Hot 100 charts since August. And it’s the most popular film to ever hit Netflix.

Songwriter Mark Sonnenblick helped create the soundtrack’s major pop anthems. He talks about bringing them...

Ben Collins became CEO of The Onion after a long career working in traditional news, so he's got major thoughts about speaking truth to power. He breaks down the role of satire in our current politics and what journalism is getting wrong about free speech. 

Ben also talks about relaunching The Onion’s print newspaper and why AI will never write a good joke. Plus, he shares h...